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Knicks Morning News (2024.11.06)


  • Brendan Brown, ex-Knicks radio broadcaster, dead at 54 after health complications – New York Post
    [New York Post] – Tue, 05 Nov 2024 23:24:00 GMT

    Brendan Brown, ex-Knicks radio broadcaster, dead at 54 after health complications


  • NBA Power Rankings: Cavaliers soar, Knicks drop and a spin through every team’s rotation – The Athletic
    [The Athletic] – Tue, 05 Nov 2024 15:51:35 GMT

    NBA Power Rankings: Cavaliers soar, Knicks drop and a spin through every team’s rotation


  • Matt Ryan gets Knicks roster chance with Landry Shamets return up in air – New York Post
    [New York Post] – Tue, 05 Nov 2024 19:53:00 GMT
    1. Matt Ryan gets Knicks roster chance with Landry Shamets return up in air
    2. Knicks signing former Celtics sharpshooter (report)
    3. NBA rumors: Knicks make two additions to bolster roster depth, including signing of sharpshooter
    4. Knicks Rumors: Matt Ryan to Sign Contract Amid Landry Shamet Buzz
    5. Knicks Officially Complete Three Roster Moves


  • Knicks, Boo Buie Agree To Two-Way Deal – hoopsrumors.com
    [hoopsrumors.com] – Tue, 05 Nov 2024 14:46:00 GMT
    1. Knicks, Boo Buie Agree To Two-Way Deal
    2. Former Central Pa. native, half-brother of Penn State all-time scorer signs with New York Knicks
    3. Knicks signing guard Boo Buie to two-way deal
    4. Knicks sign undrafted guard to two-way contract
    5. New York Knicks Bring Back Boo Buie on Two-Way Deal


  • New York Knicks at Atlanta Hawks odds, picks and predictions – USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire
    [USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire] – Wed, 06 Nov 2024 05:20:00 GMT
    1. New York Knicks at Atlanta Hawks odds, picks and predictions
    2. Knicks vs. Hawks: Start time, where to watch, what’s the latest
    3. Knicks vs. Hawks Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for Wednesday, Nov. 6
    4. Penn State police investigate cellphone incident involving Jason Kelce and a fan
    5. Hurting Hawks aim to solve home struggles vs. Knicks | Fieldlevel | mdjonline.com


  • Knicks vow to fix ball movement woes after falling into Rockets’ trap – New York Post
    [New York Post] – Tue, 05 Nov 2024 22:38:00 GMT

    Knicks vow to fix ball movement woes after falling into Rockets’ trap


  • Amen Thompson shows off elite defense versus Knicks, Jalen Brunson – Rockets Wire
    [Rockets Wire] – Tue, 05 Nov 2024 14:50:57 GMT

    Amen Thompson shows off elite defense versus Knicks, Jalen Brunson


  • Knicks must start phasing out developmental center from rotation plans – Empire Sports Media
    [Empire Sports Media] – Tue, 05 Nov 2024 17:38:52 GMT

    Knicks must start phasing out developmental center from rotation plans


  • Knicks Tom Thibodeau praises second-round rookie guards skillset – Empire Sports Media
    [Empire Sports Media] – Tue, 05 Nov 2024 17:08:35 GMT

    Knicks Tom Thibodeau praises second-round rookie guards skillset


  • Joel Embiid’s suspension could affect the Knicks as anticipated showdown nears – Daily Knicks
    [Daily Knicks] – Tue, 05 Nov 2024 23:45:00 GMT

    Joel Embiid’s suspension could affect the Knicks as anticipated showdown nears


  • Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Thunder-Nuggets, Knicks-Hawks and Pacers-Magic) – Sports Illustrated
    [Sports Illustrated] – Wed, 06 Nov 2024 10:00:00 GMT

    Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Thunder-Nuggets, Knicks-Hawks and Pacers-Magic)


  • New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks: live game updates, stats, play-by-play – Yahoo Sports
    [Yahoo Sports] – Wed, 06 Nov 2024 08:01:04 GMT

    New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks: live game updates, stats, play-by-play

  • 104 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2024.11.06)”

    R.I.P to Brendan Brown . I remember hearing him over the broadcast a couple times filling it for Breen or Clyde and he was a mainstay on the radio.

    “I don’t understand what is wrong with this country.”

    Inflation, crime, illegal immigration, boys playing girls sports, war in the MIddle East, war in Europe, out of control deficits, a media that lied to you for YEARS about the physical and mental condition of the President, a political party that handed its Presidential nomination to someone who never won a single primary, people screaming “Nazi” and “fascist” at anyone who disagrees with them, lawfare, etc.

    The only reason you don’t understand is that you’re not paying attention.

    America is cooked. Dark days incoming.

    Why would you feel that way? Today is a beautiful 65 degree November morning in NYC. Go outside and get some sunshine. The fellow who will be the next President, ran the country previously and we were doing smashingly well from most objective criteria until out friends across the ocean dropped a nasty virus in our laps.

    There were a half million more living Ukrainians, 1200 more living Israelis, 50,000 more living Palestinians, no forever wars and a much more peaceful world when the Orange Menace had the big seat.

    I don’t know if I’m more aghast that MBunge came back or that he didn’t sign his post “Mike”

    All I know is I’m going to be getting all my global news from Knickerblogger going forward…

    All I know is I’m going to be getting all my global news from Knickerblogger going forward…

    You would do a lot better than listening to MSNBC this morning….

    Inflation

    More like price hikes

    crime

    This is untrue. Crime rates are still around record lows.

    illegal immigration

    Biden actually adopted many of Trump’s border policies.

    boys playing girls sports

    Irrelevant, stupid culture war nonsense that only cranks and insecure men care about.

    war in the MIddle East

    This is true. Biden-Harris administration has major blood on its hands supplying and covering for Israel’s genocidal assault in Gaza and their expansionist militarism in Lebanon. They are just as bad as Trump would’ve been on this issue.

    war in Europe

    This is also true. Blinken and the State Department wanted to provoke a conflict there.

    out of control deficits

    Not one of the two major parties gave a flying f-ck about the deficit. Trump enacted the largest tax cut in American history, for chrissakes and then handed out Covid-19 relief dollars like pez to his corporate crony friends.

    a media that lied to you for YEARS about the physical and mental condition of the President

    This is true. The Dems and their liberal mainstream media gaslit their followers on this issue.

    a political party that handed its Presidential nomination to someone who never won a single primary,

    BINGO!

    people screaming “Nazi” and “fascist” at anyone who disagrees with them

    Well, in fairness to the Dems, some of the people who do support Trump are actual fascists and and Nazis so…

    lawfare

    Both parties engage in this –remember Benghazi, Whitewater, or the Lewinsky Scandal with Ken Starr?

    Multiracial repudiation of wokeism and illiberalism.

    Politics, particularly in the established mass democracies, was never intended to be and was not supposed to be this critical to the individual psyche. In recent years, though, there’s become a lot of money in making it that way, which is always a powerful and oftentimes irresistible force. My suggestion would be to not let them capture and monetize you in this way, but like all suggestions, that can be taken or left.

    I was always critical of Kamala Harris because she was a proven non-entity. She couldn’t even win one state during the 2020 Democratic primary, including her own homestate of California where she wasn’t even polling in the top 3 before pulling out. She was then gifted the Vice-Presidency as part of a deal between Biden’s camp and the Clinton wing of the party. Her time in the White House was mediocre at best, and the big donor base of the Democratic Party decided to replace Biden with her as party leader without a primary.

    How are people surprised that she lost this election? The contempt for the popular will of her own constituency was apparent from the beginning. It was evident to the bitter end when she even refused to appear before her own volunteers and deliver a speech to every dejected supporter who gave her campaign their blood, sweat and tears. It was such a 2016 Hillary Clintonesque move.

    First request, but likely not the last: please, no politics today. For those of us profoundly depressed, we need distraction. For those not, demonstrate that you aren’t who you’re said to be by practicing empathy. We are united in caring about the Knicks (except Donnie), let’s focus on that.

    With rama on that one. I’d hate to remove Knickerblogger from my list of doomscrolling, it’s going to be hard enough to dump the four newspapers I’ve spent years with from my day. I quit smoking though, so I can do it.

    Here, a basketball bit, from some stupid feed, about Zach Edey:

    The rookie big man and ninth-overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft posted an unprecedented stat line with 25 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks on 9-of-10 field goals and 1-for-1 from three-point range. He became the first-ever rookie in the history of the NBA with a 20/10 game on 90%/100% shooting, per StatMuse.

    Being big apparently helps…

    With all due respect, RAS…. according to the great Daniel Patrick Moineyhan, “You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own set of facts.”

    Inflation

    More like price hikes

    What? Trump year over year inflation rate 1.9%. During Biden YOY inflation was 5.2%. If you make 200k a year the price of a gallon of gas or a dozen eggs is virtually irrelevant. If you make 60k and have two kids the difference is life or death. Many people changed their voting pattern due to inflation.

    With all due respect, RAS…. according to the great Daniel Patrick Moineyhan, “You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own set of facts.”

    Out of respect for everyone here hurting from the election I will refrain from debating this issue. We’ll agree to disagree until its time to re-engage in an autopsy over this disaster of a presidential election.

    I’m curious to see if Kolek gets extended mins tonight and is actually allowed to play PG. Also if Ryan makes his season debut tonight and not just in the 4th quarter when the Knicks are hopefully up by 20.

    “We’ll agree to disagree until its time to re-engage in an autopsy over this disaster of a presidential election.”

    When would be the appropriate time for that? When we don’t have a democratic government anymore, perhaps?

    When would be the appropriate time for that? When we don’t have a democratic government anymore, perhaps?

    Our presidential elections have never been democratic. In a democracy the majority vote wins. Under a republican institution like the electoral college, a majority vote isn’t the measure of whether one candidate wins or not. Ironically though, Trump might be the first Republican presidential candidate to win the popular vote since 1992 so… yeah ….

    Our presidential elections have always been democratic, Ras. Democracy and Majority Rule are not the same.

    ‘He became the first-ever rookie in the history of the NBA with a 20/10 game on 90%/100% shooting, per StatMuse.”

    To keep the thread focussed on bball (before things get out of hand)…while StatMuse is no doubt correct and good for Zach, the “first ever” is somewhat anodyne–the 100% on 3s on 1 shot while shooting 50% on FTs. 90/100/50 line is indeed strange.

    He did have 4 blocks though so being big helps. And he must be off his 20min limit as he played 29.

    Our presidential elections have always been democratic, Ras. Democracy and Majority Rule are not the same.

    Republicanism and majority rule are not the same.

    Democracy and majority rule are.

    We often call our federal government democratic, when it isn’t in many respects and was designed as such to be republican in nature.

    Our presidential elections have never been democratic. In a democracy the majority vote wins.

    We don’t live in ancient Greece. We live in a Republic exactly because of the wisdom of the founders who were deathly afraid of the Tyranny of the Majority.

    IMO, the democrats just need to move back to the center. If the party was approximately where Bill Clinton was when it was his party (give or take), they would have swept everything in an epic landslide last night.

    You have to understand what just happened.

    IMO, many, if not most independent/centrist Americans did not vote for Trump because they like him. They see all the personality flaws and knows he’s been corrupt. They just hate where the democrats are on policy now more than they dislike Trump as a person.

    IMO the democrats have to reject their more extreme Marxist and socialist tendencies, Hollywood influence, the climate “doomsayers and extremists” and America haters.

    There is this huge center that wants a government that is pro business, pro free markets, pro trade, pro “merit”, but that protects blue collar workers, union members and other citizens from the extremes of Wall St and corporate greed.

    They want clean air and water, safe food, safe drugs, medications and vaccines and a move towards cleaner energy, but they want it all done in a slow, sensible, economically viable way.

    They welcome immigrants, but they don’t want a flood of unvetted illegal immigrants in their communities straining hospitals, schools, law enforcement, housing and other resources.

    They want a good safety net and healthcare, but they don’t want huge giveaways to some when they are struggling themselves.

    They want government to have a role, but they want responsible government spending so we don’t have to print a pile of money that causes inflation (the true cause of inflation).

    The want liberal social values, but without practically encouraging self destructive and societal destructive behavior.

    Lastly, I think they want a news media more like the days of Tim Russert and Walter Cronkite. They were the liberals of their time and they were honest, humble and knew their job was to expose government and private corruption on both sides and to explain policy choices honestly so people understood what they were voting for. What we have now is most widly arrogant pricks that think Americans are too dumb to vote for their preferred candidate. They think that gives them both the right and moral obligation to censor, spin, lie, attack and destroy innocent people, attack and destroy innocent businesses and so on. Their own arrogance prevents them from seeing the kind of anti American behavior they are engaging in even when/if they are right and people agree with them. There’s a reason people on both the left and right loved Tim Russert but so many of those same people can see through all the lies, escape their bubble and hate news media and newspapers now.

    Anyway, I don’t expect the democrats to learn anything. They’ll call that huge center of Americans ignorant, sexist, racist and maybe even garbage to explain away the loss instead of looking in the mirror and figuring out why decent centrist people rejected their policies in favor of an egomaniac, narcissist, with grifter tendencies.

    PS: The Knicks need a scorer off the bench.

    The Hawks are a bad, oddly constructed team that seems to win games only by accident. We should be able to beat these guys.

    We’ll agree to disagree until its time to re-engage in an autopsy over this disaster of a presidential election.

    Why was the election a disaster? The electorate shifted 6% in Trump’s direction since 2020. There are tangible reasons for that which some might want to consider. Hell, ultra liberal NYS shifted 12% towards Trump’s position. The people have spoken. As it should be.

    PS: The Knicks need a scorer off the bench.

    At the moment 3 options: a bounce back by Deuce, Ryan, or start Jericho and quickly sub in KAT.

    “The Hawks are a bad, oddly constructed team…”

    When they traded Dejounte, most likely because they thought the team construction with him and Trae was not ideal, they got back pieces that seem to make the team even more ill-fitting. Is Landry still there?

    We live in a Republic exactly because of the wisdom of the founders who were deathly afraid of the Tyranny of the Majority.

    Said wisdom and fear again ratified by what we witnessed in the Covid era.

    We’re far more of a democracy now than a couple centuries ago, with things like (e.g.) the direct election of senators and of presidential electors. But even then, we’re not just a mere “democracy”; we’re a constitutional democracy with a number of enumerated (and honored) protections (*) for minority rights against the mob.

    (*) And normative checks that, try as they might, the mob still hasn’t been able to eradicate.

    For the sake of sanity, I will pose this question:

    Do you see KAT as the long-term answer at the 5, or should he go back to the 4 eventually?

    I’ve seen nothing thus far that leads me to believe he’s the right center for Thibs. The “5-out” dream is a nice one, but if Thibs doesn’t want to maximize that lineup (a.k.a. shoot more threes), we should probably return to something semi-traditional.

    Thibs can’t seem to run a defense without a rim protector. He’s always been one to force outside shots and deny easy buckets. I’m not seeing any of the switch-heavy schemes that teams are running against our shooters, for instance.

    We have enough starting talent to succeed at pretty much any style offensively, but I can’t help but think we’ll revert back to a rim-protecting defense once Mitch is back. In fact, it might even happen with Precious as a quasi-center once he returns.

    The truth is, Thibs will probably have to make both styles workable for the playoffs as things become matchup-dependent. So maybe the real answer is “both”? But I do think Thibs is itching to get back to his defensive safety blanket (Mitch or a reasonable facsimile).

    Do you see KAT as the long-term answer at the 5, or should he go back to the 4 eventually?

    I don’t know but I think the answer lies with Thib’s longevity. I always assumed Thib’s buy-in with KAT had to do with his transition to a 4. If Thibs is gone I could easily see his successor viewing KAT as a 5.

    For me the worst thing about yesterday is that I feel my values, and the values I want to instill into my son, have been left behind.

    Don’t be a sore loser; instead treat your adversary with good faith.

    Don’t be a bully, instead uplift the weak.

    Don’t lie, even if it’s what people want to hear.

    Don’t put your hands on someone without their consent, even if you think you can get away with it.

    Don’t be prejudiced towards other cultures, even if those around you are.

    If you have a position of power, use it responsibly.

    Those aren’t our country’s values anymore. We are shifting from a high-trust society to low trust. Our values now are machismo, machiavellianism, and personalism.

    One thing I can say confidently in 2028 is that if the Democrats do win, another Jan 6 is guaranteed now that we know there’s no political or criminal consequences for disrupting the peaceful transfer of power. We’ll never have a peaceful transition away from the GOP again, and America is fine with it, because we’ve collectively fallen for the double-standard that Trump deserved full credit for the economy he inherited from Obama, while Biden deserved full blame for the economy he inherited from Trump.

    Opponents are now 27-for-30 at the rim vs KAT this season.

    Wonder how this compares to his career rim protection.

    The Democrats are like the Yankees, and sadly I support both. “Let’s run an unpopular woman against Trump again” was like Brian Cashman bringing Javier Vazquez back to New York.

    It’s really early to be saying Thibs won’t change. We’ve shot plenty of 3s before, and he is aware of the data that we are excellent at it, so I’m sure we will again. Even so, we have the third best O in the league. Offense isn’t the problem.

    As for the D, again, it’s very early. Thibs loves to scheme, and there’s no way he’s content with where we are. I don’t think we could have a top defense with KAT at the 5, but we should be better than where we are.

    Identity politics have become a nasty business and the cure to that nasty business is pretty nasty. This is the first year I voted as an independent. Im just a Knick fan now. Watching two political parties with extremist wings that support religious ideological fundamentalisms jockey for the purse strings of freedom is pretty gross. But doesn’t it feel like Elon bought really low on turning his thing into a real brick and mortar country.

    I’ll just note that in the Clinton years I was a somewhat left-of-center average joe. Today I am an evil communist pedophile who may well drink the blood of children, without actually changing any of my positions. Great game plan — Dems played checkers while the Right played nuclear armageddon. And here we are.

    One reason that KAT was preferred to Randle is that he can definitely play both the 4 and 5, while Randle was at best a small-ball 5 and probably not a good one. I would like to see how that hybrid approach works, especially in a huge lineup with Mitch. Seemed to work pretty well in Minny, and apparently KAT dished a bunch of assists to Gobert.

    I’ll just note that in the Clinton years I was a somewhat left-of-center average joe.

    Lots of us were. The dominant narrative on the right is that it’s the left that has run amok (when in fact the American left barely exists.

    The right’s narratives always win out because theirs are blasted from giant propaganda megaphones. They only ever double down if challenged, yet the mainstream media bends over backwards to avoid offending MAGA, over and over again. Thus we move inexorably right with no end in sight, and our standards for the president’s conduct and character are gradually reduced to nothing.

    KAT has been terrible on defense. He’s slow to recognize he should be giving help, and too often is nowhere near the driver.

    He falls way back on PnR even though Mikal can’t get over screens. In the second half of the Houston game the Knicks hedged more to mixed effect with various Knicks not closing hard enough or looking lost getting back to their man. It needs work.

    I’ll also say that Houston looks really good. They’ve done well without FVV hitting shots and against the Knicks he did.

    Thibs has his work cut out for him but we need to give him time to adjust. We’ve lost to teams 3,4, & 6 in SRS.

    It’s really early to be saying Thibs won’t change.

    Rama, you’re right, Thibs will change and has shown ability to change. However, a marginal 10% – 20% change and tinkering with both offense and defense won’t be enough to compete for a championship.

    Forgive me if I’m skeptical that Thibs, or anyone with the length of life experiences like him, is capable of a disruptor level change needed and innovating a style of play that future coaches will aspire to. He’s a tried and true leader who has taken us as far he can.

    Shooting threes is a core belief of Mazzone and he has instilled this into his entire team. Every Celtic believes this with their soul and play this way. Thibs says all the right things an is open to trying playing differently but that unfortunately will not enough to win a CHIP OVER NEXT 4 YEARS.

    Just like Tatum, JB needs to stop hunting twos and fouls, change the core of his game and instead start hunting threes for his teamates and himself. In order to beat Boston, we need to create and shoot more quality high percentage threes than them. That’s not happeining if we posting KAT and JB is doing his thing inside.

    The right’s narratives always win out because theirs are blasted from giant propaganda megaphones. They only ever double down if challenged, yet the mainstream media bends over backwards to avoid offending MAGA, over and over again. Thus we move inexorably right with no end in sight, and our standards for the president’s conduct and character are gradually reduced to nothing.

    This seems right.

    Strat is a prime example of someone who has no idea that Kamala is pretty damn centrist because he’s bought into right-wing rhetoric that Democrats are the far left. Nobody I know on the left thinks she’s a communist or any of the things Strat projects.

    Shooting threes is a core belief of Mazzone and he has instilled this into his entire team. Every Celtic believes this with their soul and play this way. Thibs says all the right things an is open to trying playing differently but that unfortunately will not enough to win a CHIP OVER NEXT 4 YEARS.

    We’ve been 10th, 11th, and 7th in 3pt attempt rate the last 3 years with 2-3 starters who, quite frankly, cannot shoot. Thibs wants to shoot, our players haven’t been aggressive enough doing it.

    Last game OG was the only Knick I’d describe as aggressive taking 3s, maybe the first time a starter has been aggressive doing it all year. Deuce and Payne are happy to do so (though Payne needs to chill sometimes).

    Kamala winked at me at a gay pride parade in sf a while back. She seemed cool.

    Re: election, – I’m not sure that the the middle voted for Trump. There was a ton of that too but I think majority of us protested by sitting this one out and sending a message to fix our party and stop the BS. Pendulum will swing more than I like but we’ll be there for the turn again. Full gut rebuild through draft underway.

    We’ve been 10th, 11th, and 7th in 3pt attempt rate

    That’s my point. While 7th – 10th is a likely outcome, it will not win a champinship.

    The evidence right now indicates that this election boiled down to two issues: inflation and immigration. What the Democrats or Republicans did or didn’t do, what their policy has been or will be, etc., didn’t matter. What mattered is that the price of eggs was higher under Biden and the idea (one with no basis in reality) that migrants were running amuck under Biden. Combine those two causes with a side of establishment political fatigue/anti-incumbent bias and you get a pretty good explanation of what suppressed turnout for key Kamala demographics, increased turnout for key Trump ones, and caused the country’s general Trumpward shift.

    The Democrats weren’t going to win unless they pulled another Obama out of their hat or doubled down on a nativist policy platform to satisfy the national mood. The first wasn’t going to happen (though I quite liked JB Pritzker and hope he runs in 2028) and the second shouldn’t. In the end, we get what we collectively deserve for forty years of political stagnation.

    The Knicks better win tonight, for my sanity.

    That’s my point. While 7th – 10th is a likely outcome, it will not win a champinship.

    I don’t care who the coach is, you’re not going to lead the league in 3s starting RJ, Randle, and Mitch/iHart.

    2 seasons ago when Denver won the championship they were 21st in 3pt rate and were 15th in defensive rating.

    I hear you big blue. That’s likely along the lines of the same thing that Thibs is saying.

    Again, long term, I’m more concerned with the defense post-KAT trade than the threes.

    And obviously it’s too soon to attack Thibs, especially since he was gifted KAT just a few days before the season. My guess is he’s earned at least this full season to adjust and probably into next season.

    He has shown the ability to adjust, but KAT at center is a real dilemma for any coach. Who knows, maybe the D will improve “enough” just by getting Precious back?

    The Knicks have the 5th best SRSs in the league. I think a lot of it is that their schedule has been really tough (2nd hardest) at a moment where they still have to figure things out.

    I have no election takes to share.

    I am probably just going to watch KAT on defense tonight all the way just to get a better sense of him. But my instinct is that he is a true empty suit on that end. A full DLee almost. I can’t imagine a defense with him at the 5 that really works.

    The “Knicks need to take more 3s” take has my wholehearted endorsement.

    I kind of worry watching Brunson that he may not thrive this year to quite the same degree being slightly less ball dominant. His season numbers look fine though. He’s a couple threes from being exactly where you expect.

    I am also strangely confident that Thibs will make some sensible changes. Doesn’t feel right to say but I am building trust.

    Not to keep hammering the point, but… Mikal Bridges is garbage on defense. The team’s defensive rating is 24.3 points worse when he plays. That’s 97.5 when he sits, which is insane, and 121.8 when he plays. Next worst differential is KAT at 13.3.

    Probably a lot of noise, but the results have been really bad from Mikal.

    I don’t like the election results, but I do kind of like that Strat used them to validate his long held suspicion that a majority of the American people would vote for Trump because they miss Tim Russert.

    We’re missing the Jokic component of Denver’s plan, though. Seems kinda important.

    in fact the American left barely exists.

    Back in 2020, we Los Angelinos voted in a DA who promised to decriminalize crime, empty the prisons, seek the minimum sentences, and defund the police. Last night we told him to get the fuck out of here with that bullshit. So, yeah, the left is a bit hard to identify right now.

    Donnie, I spent an hour on the phone with an Angeleno friend who is a lifelong democrat and he spent 20 minutes of it just eviscerating the Democratic establishment that runs the state incredibly poorly. I got a full explanation of how he pays 300 a year to register his cars and it went downhill from there. He is ready to switch his vote very soon. Mid forties, the time is right.

    The evidence right now indicates that this election boiled down to two issues: inflation and immigration.

    The evidence only applies to the people who voted.

    What the Democrats or Republicans did or didn’t do, what their policy has been or will be, etc., didn’t matter.

    It did bc it made people like director stay home.

    It’s what happens when you allow genocide. Shit, they could of halted arms for a few weeks before the election and I would of told everyone to vote Dem.

    They did nothing to earn my vote this time around. In fact, they took it for granted. Luckily in NY my vote is meaningless, but it feels good to make the Dems sweat and see them get kicked in the teeth.

    I think what I said covers nonvoters, Hubert:

    Combine those two causes with a side of establishment political fatigue/anti-incumbent bias and you get a pretty good explanation of what suppressed turnout for key Kamala demographics, increased turnout for key Trump ones, and caused the country’s general Trumpward shift.

    I could see a different explanation for the non-turnout of certain demos, but the best explanation seems to be one and the same for voters and non-voters by my lights.

    tough time for optimism, for some, for many…

    i think the first startling thing that hit me during this election cycle was this rally a couple of months back where a whole lot of folks in the stand where holding signs which read: Mass Deportation Now…and they wasn’t all white folks…definitely a wtf moment for me…

    hopefully it does not come to pass where the visual of internment camps, with the US military in charge of them, begin to appear…

    it feels like we took a national ethics and civics test, and failed…

    squeezed out of the supreme court, senate, white house, and most likely house or representatives…

    it would seem for those of a certain view point, when it comes to national governance – we are solidly in the minority…

    it’ll be interesting to see the reaction from this situation…

    There are a lot of smart, articulate people here such that I have no problem with respectful, thoughtful talk about any number of non-basketball subjects, politics included.

    I am just too gutted to muster much of a take. It may well be true that inflation is the electoral third-rail, such that being associated with it is worse than being associated with a violent attempt to overturn the results of an election, and voters prefer literal recessions to it. That would run quite contrary to my own macroeconomic policy preferences, but the results speak for themselves.

    Other than that, right now is kind of like the day after the Celtics game in terms of takes. They’re flying around before we have enough data to evaluate them intelligently, outside of some that are grounded in basic, long-term trends e.g. there is something(s) that is simply not clicking between the Democrats and working class voters of all races and nationalities.

    Needless to say, I am very, very worried for my many undocumented and/or poor clients, feel horrible about the number of women who will suffer, indeed have already suffered, gruesome deaths that could’ve been prevented via basic healthcare, and am personally not looking forward to paying 20% more for bananas.

    So I guess I’ll pay attention to both Mikal’s and KAT’s defense tonight.

    I have noticed Mikal getting his face flattened on a few screens, but haven’t been sure whether it was just great screens or a prevalent problem we should blame on Bridges.

    Also hope that Brunson gets back to orchestrating. Everything felt forced last game. I don’t pin the loss on him, but he’s the man who gives the offense rhythm. Or lack thereof.

    “The evidence right now indicates that this election boiled down to two issues: inflation and immigration.”

    The election boiled down to one issue: fear. Fear they will take our guns, fear that they will take our Christianity, fear that they will take our bathrooms, fear that they are grooming our children, fear that the economy has tanked, fear that immigrants are boiling over the border and eating our pets, fear that Nancy drinks the blood of babies.

    The list goes on and on. People were made to feel afraid by a giant echo chamber that said, “Be Afraid!!!”

    As for the pleasure of kicking ridiculously ineffective democrats in the teeth, may you get equal pleasure from watching the burning end of the democratic experiment. And watching Vance, Bannon, and Musk dancing on the embers.

    They’re reasonable points, Alecto, but I think you may be too eager to sweep a consistently terrible democratic message under the rug of anti establishment/voter fatigue. I’m not sure the degree to which you were using hyperbole when you said what they do or say doesn’t matter. The message matters a lot, and I don’t think the dems have come close to crafting one that appeals to the non elite. This wasn’t 1980. Inflation is real but it wasn’t so bad you couldn’t have won an election. And the Biden administration passed lots of legislation was that was actually quite helpful keeping it down.

    It’s what happens when you allow genocide. Shit, they could of halted arms for a few weeks before the election and I would of told everyone to vote Dem.

    Give me a break with this shit. The alternative to “genocide” is going to be faster, harder genocide resulting in Gaza being a glass parking lot for Trump Towers Middle East.

    As a bonus we get a second genocide in Ukraine unless they agree to be annexed by Russia so that Putler can move on to his next war of aggression with Trump’s open admiration.

    It amazes me that for all the really good basketball analysis that goes on here, how really poor the political discourse is. And it is poor mostly because it is so condescending. We are not idiots like some posters are implying about others. Perhaps move it to another site, because I rather not be lectured about why you know exactly why what happened yesterday when I came here to find out how the Knicks will beat or not beat the Hawks.

    It amazes me that for all the really good basketball analysis that goes on here, how really poor the political discourse is. And it is poor. Perhaps move it to another site, because I rather not be lectured about why you know exactly why what happened yesterday when I came here to find out how the Knicks will beat or not beat the Hawks.

    I know it contradicts what I just said but I also wouldn’t mind a hard and fast “no politics” rule lol.

    Lord knows this is already dominating our interactions and group chats and the like.

    So, if we’re up big on a depleted Hawks team, maybe Kolek and/or Ryan get some real run?

    I’m mostly interested in how Mikal does against Trae Young. He’s a scampering guard that could do a lot of damage getting around screens. Maybe Thibs changes his response to PnRs.

    I do think we’ll figure out how to play against switching defenses better. At any rate, most teams don’t have wings who can survive in the post like Dillon or Jrue… hopefully.

    one recent positive thing i can share – i am back to boozin’ baby…

    been awhile, but working on a couple of six packs of beer…it might take me a while (beer does in fact have an expiration date) but, i’m putting in the work…

    went with some kind of blond ale and also the sam adams octoberfest…

    life is good…

    it feels good to make the Dems sweat and see them get kicked in the teeth

    The irony being that you’re kicking yourself in the teeth, you just don’t know it yet (unless you’re in the 1%, in which case let the good times roll!)

    Non-college-educated voters outnumber college-educated voters by nearly two to one: 64 percent to 36 percent.

    Trump wins 54% of voters without a college degree nationwide.

    Harris wins 57% of voters with college degrees nationwide.

    That’s basically the race.

    And it’s not just bad messaging. When the “educated elites” in power fail to make life better/sustainable for the “uneducated masses” they usually lose elections, sometimes lose their heads, and, on occasion, inspire a boogeyman to destroy the institutions they controlled. Same as it ever was. Do better.

    This wasn’t 1980.

    No, but Trump basically ran as Reagan, even copping his slogan “Make America Great Again.” In practical terms, Trump is better positioned than Reagan’s victory back then, holding Executive, Judicial, and likely both houses of Congress under his thumb.

    The M word, “mandate” will also be everywhere now since he won the popular vote. To paraphrase a Dem attack on Trump: When America tells you who they are, believe them.

    If, like me, you are in the losing minority — dig in, organize, persuade; resist.

    And, always, shoot more threes.

    I will stop with the screeds. Apologies to all. Well, I’ll try. I’ll go for a long run. Hope the game thread comes soon.

    Unfortunately I also have a sense of dread about this game. Hopefully Deuce took about 5,000 three pointers yesterday and he’s ready to go nose-to-nose with Trae.

    Hubert,

    I think I agree that messaging and campaigning were suboptimal (and contributed to things like Dem voter fatigue), but I also think (and this is where we may disagree) that optimal messaging and campaigning wouldn’t really have changed the outcome, because the perception of the average voter is that the economy is in shambles because eggs cost a dollar more and crime is up in their communities because they’re seeing more people who don’t look like them around. I just don’t see things like better messaging making up for that gap, unless it involved a transcendent political talent (like Obama in 2008.)

    You’re right that inflation *shouldn’t* be an existential electoral issue—any rational, informed voter could see that it was transient and on its way down and that Biden/Fed policy helped in that respect. But the median voter is hardly rational or informed. Rather, they rely on quick heuristics like “how much does my grocery bill cost at this very moment?” and vote accordingly.

    That’s at least my armchair, Wednesday morning quarterback take. I’m not sure where that leaves the Democratic Party strategy-wise. I really do not envy their position, but you’re certainly right that something must change—at a minimum they need to reorient away from the Hillarys, Kamalas, and Bidens of the party, who have done almost nothing besides lose.

    I think I agree that messaging and campaigning were suboptimal (and contributed to things like Dem voter fatigue), but I also think (and this is where we may disagree) that optimal messaging and campaigning wouldn’t really have changed the outcome

    This is where I am, for the record. Kamala didn’t run the exact campaign I would’ve run and didn’t adopt the positions I would’ve adopted, but there’s a level of overdetermination a lot of next-day take slingers aren’t comfortable with because once you accept it you start to wonder what politics is even for.

    I think the empirics on the Democrats’ delivering for working class people are relatively strong, though still insufficient for my tastes. Uncomfortable questions arise when you acknowledge that’s not a reliable way to get their votes. I strongly support alleviating various burdens on the downtrodden because it’s the god damn right thing to do, but I’m pretty disillusioned about the idea it translates to political success.

    There’s a lot that’s just out of even the best politicians’ control.

    “But the median voter is hardly rational or informed…”

    Replace “voter” with “Knick fan” and you can see how political comments on this site are so much more condescending than bball comments. And why we should stick to bball.

    optimal messaging and campaigning wouldn’t really have changed the outcome,

    If you’re fixed on Harris as candidate, I agree. But I think running her was a huge part of the poor messaging.

    the Hillarys, Kamalas, and Bidens of the party, who have done almost nothing besides lose.

    Biden has never lost an election! And I actually think he ran a very effective administration and deserved an opportunity to run on it. The party reacted to that debate worse than Pagliacci after the Celtics game.

    Might be a long time before anyone gets more votes than Biden. Don’t sleep on Sleepy Joe.

    I do love how the knives are out in the Democratic Party. Bernie appears to have a 12 inch serrated Bowie.

    Biden has never lost an election! And I actually think he ran a very effective administration and deserved an opportunity to run on it. The party reacted to that debate worse than Pagliacci after the Celtics game.

    The party reacted to it because it confirmed everything the public was suspecting, i.e., he’s mentally unfit to be president at this point. From a person I know in the White House, his performance was par for the course. His presidency was perfectly fine, but he shouldn’t have tried for a second term.

    If you’re fixed on Harris as candidate, I agree. But I think running her was a huge part of the poor messaging.

    I agree, in the sense that they (unwisely, in my view) opted for the most conservative gameplan (continuity with Biden, no open primary) and got electorally shellacked for it.

    Biden has never lost an election! And I actually think he ran a very effective administration and deserved an opportunity to run on it.

    That’s why I hedged with ‘almost nothing.’ Biden won an election and I liked most facets of his administration, but by the back half of his presidency it was clear he was a ticking time-bomb, with constant gaffes and an inability to make voters believe that he had, in fact, done a good job with the economy (this is partly due to his mental sunsetting, frankly). He should’ve stepped aside earlier, or never planned to run for a second term from the start, which would’ve allowed more time for the party to work on messaging with Kamala or run an open primary. Even then, I don’t think things would have changed, unless they pulled a magic candidate out of their hat (which it sounds like you agree with.)

    And, even though he did win in 2020, I think this recent loss now shows how unsustainable that sort of win was. Biden ultimately squeaked out a win (which was by a few tenths of a percentage point in the relevant swing states despite the 70 EC-vote difference) in largely unprecedented circumstances (a global pandemic) as a challenger to the incumbent. It was the height of foolishness to think that he–or Kamala, for that matter–would replicate such a performance in wholly different circumstances. Of course, this is easy to say with hindsight, but the Democratic Party pays people lots of money to figure this stuff out, so I don’t really cut them any slack when they opted for the same strategy of “get anti-Trump Republicans to vote Democrat” that has constantly lost them elections at the local, state, and federal levels.

    Ultimately, I think this election shows that 2020 was a temporary reprieve from the decade-plus litany of strategic failures by the Democratic Party to adapt to the changing electorate. Biden may be the winningnest of this gang of losers, but he’s still a card-carrying member. Or at least that’s how I see it.

    Democrats’ messaging looks like this:

    “I’m going to offer a child tax credit of $6000 plus a $25000 tax credit for anybody starting a new business”

    Trump’s messaging looks like this:

    “I’m going to cut your energy bills in half”

    One is more realistic than the other— Harris might or might not have been able to scrounge enough votes to squeak out a child tax credit— but the other is pure fantasy. Trump isn’t cutting anybody’s energy bills in half, let’s get real.

    His approach works better though. The Democrats are trying to sell pragmatic incrementalism while Trump promises grandiose fantasies. Most people can’t tell the difference.

    People don’t really want to be educated about these things either. It’s too hard to try to explain what a tariff is, and why you actually don’t want deflation, and why eggs are not going to cost half as much this time next year and all of that. People are going to have to find out the hard way.

    Well with the Right now controlling all four branches of government, at least now climate change and the sixth great extinction event will get the attention they deserve.

    Damn it I did it again!

    To be fair, Trump’s mental fitness is starting to waver, too. By the end of this next term, he should pretty much be an empty shell. Add to that the GOP inter-party bickering we’re sure to see plenty of over the next 4 years, and the Dems will have a decent shot again if they just get their shit a little bit together.

    To be fair, Trump’s mental fitness is starting to waver, too. By the end of this next term, he should pretty much be an empty shell. Add to that the GOP inter-party bickering we’re sure to see plenty of over the next 4 years, and the Dems will have a decent shot again if they just get their shit a little bit together.

    Why would any of this matter? Trump was as already disqualifyingly unhinged and nonsensical through his entire campaign. Republicans don’t in-fight, they get in line. They certainly wouldn’t lose an election over a “genocide” that the opposition only wanted to accelerate.

    What makes you think there will be a peaceful transfer of power if they lose in 2028? The fact that they handpicked a VP who would have refused to certify the vote in 2020? The fact that we now know there is no political or criminal price to be paid for Jan 6?

    Why would JD Vance not just do Jan 6 2.0 if they lose, but this time everyone brings guns?

    Yeah, I don’t see “Project 2025” as inter-party bickering; between what’s in there and the rampant jerrymandering and altered voting laws we’ll be seeing, there may be no way that even George Clooney could become president.

    Damn it I did it again! Where’s the game thread?

    Crawling out of my shelter in a very depressing day (and it’s still not january!)

    Trump’s mental fitness is starting to waver, too. By the end of this next term, he should pretty much be an empty shell.

    Maybe Trump’s heir is already there, his name is Elon Musk and he’s even crazier than the original (BTW could we at least start to sabotage X or should we go on financing a psychopat multimegabillionare?).

    Trump was as already disqualifyingly unhinged and nonsensical through his entire campaign. Republicans don’t in-fight, they get in line.

    What makes you think there will be a peaceful transfer of power if they lose in 2028? The fact that they handpicked a VP who would have refused to certify the vote in 2020? The fact that we now know there is no political or criminal price to be paid for Jan 6?

    Why would JD Vance not just do Jan 6 2.0 if they lose, but this time everyone brings guns?

    Yup. And are 2028 elections guaranteed to happen?

    A lot of people are smiling and rejoicing in the world today, even in my country.
    They’re not the good ones.

    the democrats have to reject their more extreme Marxist and socialist tendencies,

    At least this made me laugh out loud 😀

    Elon Musk will eventually die of a ketamine overdose. It’s really only a matter of time. See: Perry, Matthew

    Maybe Trump’s heir is already there, his name is Elon Musk and he’s even crazier than the original (BTW could we at least start to sabotage X or should we go on financing a psychopat multimegabillionare?).

    This is my thought too. Elon is egomaniacal enough to do it and his supporters are fanatical.

    Maybe Trump’s heir is already there, his name is Elon Musk and he’s even crazier than the original (BTW could we at least start to sabotage X or should we go on financing a psychopat multimegabillionare?).

    Musk is constitutionally ineligible for the Presidency, at least until SCOTUS reinterprets that under Alito’s “I win, you lose” test.

    Oh fuck me, we’re seriously gonna get blown out by the Hawks too?

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